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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a tool
  12. kick — in football
  13. file — a line of people
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. file — a document
  17. rule — government
  18. can — to be able to
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com